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Wesleyan McNair fellows Eduardo Centeno ’18, Lorena Fernandez ’18 and Daniel Lee ’18 gather at the 25th Annual Ronald E. McNair Scholars Symposium at the University of California – Berkeley in July 2017 with Carl McNair, pictured second from left. Carl McNair is the brother of the program’s namesake, Ronald McNair.

This semester, Wesleyan’s Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, which assists students from underrepresented groups in preparing for, entering and progressing successfully through post-graduate education, received a five-year renewal grant from the U.S Department of Education. Wesleyan’s program will receive $232,265 annually, for a total award of $1,161,325. The federal money is supplemented with an additional $50,000 per year from the President.

Since 2007, the program has supported 135 students all of whom were first-generation college and low-income and/or from groups underrepresented in graduate school. The program provides research opportunities and funding, mentoring, graduate school admissions assistance and academic support to students planning to pursue PhDs and focuses on students in STEM.

The Senior McNair Fellows who spoke on April 18 are part of the cohort of 10 who are presenting their undergraduate research projects this year. From left to right: Nicholas Morgan ’17 (majoring in economics), Stacy Uchendu (majoring in chemistry), Hanna Morales Hernandez (majoring in chemistry) , and Cindy Flores (majoring in earth and environmental science).

This spring, the 10 McNair Fellows of the Wesleyan Class of 2017 are presenting their undergraduate research projects at Senior Talks on Thursdays at noon from April 18 through May 4, in Allbritton 311. The presentations describe the research that students have conducted with Wesleyan faculty mentors. Many of these projects also are the subject of student theses or final papers presented for the Wesleyan BA requirements.

The Wesleyan University Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program, established in 2007, assists students from underrepresented groups with preparing for, entering, and progressing successfully through postgraduate education by providing guidance, research opportunities, and academic and financial support to students planning to pursue PhDs. Junior and Senior Fellows do research with faculty mentors and participate in

The Ronald E. McNair Post Program assists students from under-represented groups in preparing for, entering and progressing successfully through postgraduate education.

This fall, the Office for Equity and Inclusion will coordinate five Wesleyan cohort programs: the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, the Wesleyan Math and Science Scholars Program (WesMaSS), the Upward Bound Math-Science Program, and the Posse Veteran Scholars Program. The initiative is called Pathways to Inclusive Excellence (PIE).

“It makes sense organizationally to place these programs under the same umbrella, in order to increase a sense of community amongst students, faculty and staff,” said Antonio Farias, vice president for equity and inclusion/Title IX officer. “Our vision is to increase the flow of students in grades 9 through 16 from historically underrepresented backgrounds and to provide opportunities and access by way of pathway programs that require complex thinking but also a complex interdisciplinary understanding of belonging in the pursuit of excellence.

Suzanne O’Connell, right, with Ed Laine ’69 and Kerry Brenner ’94 at a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine workshop.

Suzanne O’Connell, professor of earth and environmental sciences, faculty director of the McNair Program, together with Ed Laine ’69 and Kerry Brenner ’94, attended a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NAS) workshop in Washington, D.C. on April 20-21. The three were involved in a report on Service Learning in the Geosciences.

O’Connell presented the report at the meeting.

Laine, recently retired from Bowdoin College, was on the meeting steering committee, while Brenner, a senior program officer in the Board on Science Education in the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (NAS) coordinated the meeting.

A summary of the workshop will be published as a book by the National Academies Press in fall 2016.

Science in Society major Stacy Uchendu ‘17 is researching second generation biofuels as a McNair Scholar.

In this News @ Wesleyan story, we talk with Stacy Uchendu from the Class of 2017. Uchendu is participating in Wesleyan’s Ronald E. McNair Post Program, which assists students from underrepresented groups in preparing for, entering and progressing successfully through post-graduate education.

Q: Stacy, where are you from and what is your major?

A: I’m from Houston, Texas, and my major is Science in Society with concentrations in chemistry and religion.

Q: When did you become a part of the McNair Program? Why did you decide to participate?

A: McNair offers a wonderful opportunity to do paid research over the summer and during the academic school year.

McNair Fellow Raquel Ibarra ’16 and Ishita Mukerji, dean of the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Division, director of technology initiatives, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, speak at the Research in the Sciences poster session on July 30.

This summer, 13 students had an opportunity to work closely with a faculty mentor to conduct research, as well as get a leg up in the grad school application process, through the McNair Program. For 10 weeks, they studied topics in psychology and neuroscience, earth and environmental science, biology, physics, and science in society.

The McNair Fellows, all rising juniors and seniors, are either low-income, first-generation college students or members of a group traditionally underrepresented in graduate school. The fellows may be engaged in research in any field, though the vast majority focus their studies in the sciences. This summer, eight fellows were fully funded by McNair, three were partially funded by McNair, and two others received funding from other sources, according to Ronnie Hendrix, associate director of the McNair Program.

The program’s mission is to create educational opportunities for all Americans regardless of race, ethnic background, or economic circumstance. It assists students from underrepresented groups prepare for, enter, and progress successfully through postgraduate education.

First generation college students from low-income families or African-American, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian, Native American Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaskan Natives qualify as McNair Fellows. Since 2007, four McNair fellows have entered Ph.D. programs and 15 are working in research fields.

McNair Research Talks are designed for interested, non-expert students.

The U.S. Department of Education awarded Wesleyan’s Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program with a $1.1 million grant on Sept. 31, 2012. The award will support the McNair Program through Sept. 30, 2017.

The Ronald E. McNair Program was established at Wesleyan in 2007 and assists students from under-represented groups in preparing for, entering and progressing successfully through post graduate education.

By looking at high-resolution images captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, scientists are able to see gullies, which are argued to be geologically recent. Because they are most likely formed by water, it is believed that they can answer the question of whether or not there is still “active” water on Mars.

As a summer Wesleyan McNair scholar, astronomy major Lavontria Aaron ’14 used a hyperspectral instrument to determine if the gullies contained minerals (salts) which would be left behind by water brines.

“By examining the spectrum of the brines, we’ll be able to learn more about Mars’ history and possibly man’s future in pursuit of exploring the red planet,” says Aaron, who worked on the project with her faculty advisor Marty Gilmore, chair and associate professor of earth and environmental sciences.

Aaron and her 13 McNair peers are supported by the Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program, which serves students in their second, third, and fourth college semesters. It provides career-oriented activities,

Psychology major Yan Pui “Angela” Lo ’14 presented “The Role of Linguistic Context in Children’s Acquisition of Number Words.” Her advisor is Anna Shusterman, assistant professor of psychology.

Chemistry major Sarah Hensiek ’13 discussed her research on “Comparative Studies of Transition Metal Complexes of Polyacetate Tetraaza Macrocycles.” Her advisor is T. David Westmoreland, associate professor of chemistry.

Raymond Wong ’14 spoke about his summer-long research on “Are Wealthier States More Successful than Poorer States?: The Impact of Income Packaging on States’ Child Poverty Rates. Wong’s advisor was Wendy Rayack, associate professor of economics, tutor in the College of Social Studies. Wong completed his research through the Quantitative Analysis Center.

Ellen Lesser ’15 presented a poster titled “Estimation Bias in Numerical and Non-Numerical Spatial Tasks in 9- and 10- Year Olds and Adults.” Her advisors are Hilary Barth, associate professor of psychology, associate professor of neuroscience and behavior, and postdoctoral fellow Emily Slusser.

Molecular biology and biochemistry and chemistry major Laura Nocka ’13 speaks to Francis Starr, associate professor of physics, about her research on “Structure and Function of Holliday Junctions Complexed with Ions and HU Protein. Her advisors are Ishita Mukerji, dean of the Natural Sciences and Mathematics, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, and David Beveridge, the Joshua Boger University Professor of the Sciences and Mathematics, professor of chemistry.

David Shor ’13 presented “Impact of Exposure to Party Mentions in Political Ads and Local News on Ability to Identify Candidates’ Political Party.” His advisor is Erika Franklin Fowler, assistant professor of government. Shor completed his research through the Quantitative Analysis Center and Wesleyan Media Project.

Earth and environmental science major Ariela Knight ’13 presented “Sediment Geochemistry and Laminations of Ballston Lake, N.Y.” Her advisor is Tim Ku, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences. Pictured at right is Dana Royer, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences.

Eleven Wesleyan seniors will speak on their undergraduate research projects during the Spring 2012 McNair Fellow Presentation Series March 29 through April 26. The presentations describe the research that students conducted with Wesleyan faculty mentors.

Many of the projects also are the subject of student theses or final papers presented for the Wesleyan B.A. requirements.

The Wesleyan University Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement McNair Program was established in 2007. It assists students from underrepresented groups with preparing for, entering, and progressing successfully through postgraduate education. They are often first generation college students from low-income families, OR African-American, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian, other Pacific Islander, or Native American.

The program provides guidance, research opportunities, and academic and financial support to students planning to pursue Ph.Ds. Junior and Senior Fellows do research with faculty mentors and participate in program activities with the McNair cohort. More than 59 students have participated in the program, 40 of whom were first generation college attendees.

The program provides guidance, research opportunities, and academic and financial support to students planning to pursue Ph.Ds.

“We’re very proud of our graduating fellows,” says Santos Cayetano, administrative director of the McNair Program. “Many of our fellows go on to graduate school and post baccalaureate programs. We welcome the entire Wesleyan community to come hear about their research.”

All talks are at noon in Exley Science Center 109. The schedule is as follows:

March 29
Julia Marroquin-Ceron ’12 will present “Spanish legal translation and interpretation: Wesleyan students and involvement in the greater Middletown community.”

The Wesleyan McNair Program assists students from underrepresented groups in preparing for, entering, and progressing successfully through post-graduate education. The program provides guidance, research opportunities, and academic and financial support to students planning to go on to Ph.Ds. All fields of research leading to a Ph.D. are eligible.

In efforts to prepare undergraduates from diverse backgrounds for graduate studies, the McNair Program hosts a series of research talks. These talks are designed for interested, non-expert, students. They are free and open to all students.

The next McNair Research Talk will take place from noon to 1 p.m., Friday, April 15 in Exley Science Center room 121. Christian Hoyos ’11 will speak on “Direction-of-transfer effects in Children’s map use” with his mentor, Anna Shusterman, assistant professor of psychology; Matthew Narkaus ’11 will speak on “Race Language in Psychological Experiments” with his advisor, Jill Morawski, professor of psychology and director of the Center for the Humanities; and Jessica Bowen ’11 will speak on “Breaking Habit (U.S.) Diversifying the Elite at……” with her mentor, Sarah Wiliarty, assistant professor of government, tutor in the College of Social Studies. More information is online here.

On March 25, the McNair Program hosted a talk by Francis Starr, associate professor of physics. Pictures of his talk are below:

On March 25, the Wesleyan McNair Program presented “Some Assembly Required: DNA-based Nanomaterials,” with Associate Professor of Physics Francis Starr. While DNA has long been known as the chemical foundation of genetics, Starr is exploring new ways to take advantage of the special features of DNA.

We are SO excited to celebrate the graduating class of 2019 tomorrow! 🎓 Unable to join in person? Here's where you can watch the ceremony LIVE on Sunday, May 26 at 11 a.m. EST #Wes2019:
on Facebook 📱: bit.ly/2IP1Wto
on the Web 💻 : bit.ly/WesCommencemen…

Lots of great WESeminars today! Here's your chance to revisit the classroom this weekend and experience firsthand the academic excellence that is the essence of Wesleyan. Check out the schedule #WesReunion#Wes2019: fal.cn/ARoc